


The Stars May Fade but the Sun Must Rise

by captainofthefallen



Category: Pillars of Eternity
Genre: Caed Nua, Endgame, F/M, Pillars Prompts Weekly, Sun in Shadow, everyone's leaving, the whole party's there but it's mostly them
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-21
Updated: 2017-08-21
Packaged: 2018-12-18 05:13:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11867466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/captainofthefallen/pseuds/captainofthefallen
Summary: Written for the first Pillars Prompts Weekly. A telling of the events at the end of the game and the departure of the companions. Cross-posted from tumblr.





	The Stars May Fade but the Sun Must Rise

When she wakes up, it’s quiet. 

That’s the first thing she notices. The memories are still there, everything she remembered of the Inquisitor, of Thaos, of Iovara, but the unrest is gone. So are the voices. For the first time in months, she enjoys a blissful moment of complete silence. 

She rolls over, stretching and blinking her eyes open to meet the concerned stare of Aloth. 

He blinks, as though to make sure he’s not imagining things, and his face splits into the biggest smile she’s ever seen on him. “You’re awake,” he breathes. “You’re all right.” 

She smiles back, then looks around. None of the others are in sight. “Is everyone…?” 

“Everyone’s fine,” he’s quick to reassure her. “We’ve begun searching for a way out of here, and the only way we can seem to find is the way Thaos entered. Which, if you’ll recall, he caved in behind him. We’ve begun to tunnel our way out.” 

She raises an eyebrow. “How long have I been out?” 

He frowns. “At least half a day at my estimation, though it’s difficult to tell down here. We all agreed you needed the rest.” 

She pushes herself up into a sitting position. “Thank you,” she says sincerely. “I…well, you were right.” 

He eyes her cautiously. “Are you… all right, then?” 

She nods slowly. “The voices have stopped. The memories are all there still, but she's… settled, I guess you could say. I don’t think I’ll go crazy.” She pauses, shrugging a shoulder. “Though you never know, I guess.” 

He laughs with her for a moment before getting to his feet. “I should return to work. Everyone will want to know you’re awake.” He lowers his voice. “I suspect Edér would have stayed at your side if we hadn’t needed his help.” 

That… her smile grows a little, and she ducks her head, breaking eye contact. There is little doubt in her mind that Aloth _knows,_ and that he’s probably teasing her. 

She gets to her feet beside him. “Lead the way, Corfiser.” He starts to protest, but she shakes her head. “The sooner we get out of here the sooner I get a hot bath and an actual bed. I’m helping.” 

He seems to consider for a moment, inclines his head, and leads the way out of their makeshift camp and out to the tunnel. 

Most of the others are there, except those few whose turn it is to sleep. Edér is the first to turn at the sound of Aloth’s approach. “Aloth’s back,” he says. “Whose turn is…” He doesn’t get beyond that; he trails off into silence the moment he sets eyes on Mara. 

There’s a moment in which his mouth opens slightly and his eyes fill with more hope than she’s ever seen there, and then he’s grinning and running over to the pair of them, wrapping her in a hug and lifting her into the air. He laughs joyfully as he spins in a circle before setting her down again and pulling away to get a good look at her. 

At last he nods, grin still stretched across his face like he can’t help it. “You all right?” he asks at last, looking a little more serious. “Just you in there?” He taps the side of her head. 

She smiles. “Yeah. Well, she’s still there, but the voices have stopped.” 

His hand cups her face. “You sleep all right?” 

She nods. “Better than I have in months.” 

“Good.” The smile is back, joyful and relieved and so… _him._ “That’s real good.” And he hugs her again. He pulls away a few moments later, still smiling that beautiful smile, and she loves him, so much it almost hurts to keep it in, and–-

Hiravias clears his throat, and they break apart completely. She coughs awkwardly, casting around for a change of topic. “How’s this going?” She gestures at the tunnel. 

“Could be worse.” Hiravias shrugs. “Between my druid skills and the people with muscles, we should be able to get through in a couple of days or so.” 

She nods. She’d hoped for sooner, but Thaos had been thorough in collapsing that thing. “Might as well get started then.” 

________________________

It takes them three days. They’re all exhausted, sore, and covered in a thick layer of dust, but they’re alive, and they’re in one piece, and that’s more than any of them had expected when they took the plunge to Sun in Shadow. 

Hiravias is the first out, breaking through the last rocks with a druid spell, and Mara is close behind him. There’s a gentle breeze rustling the trees where the delemgan reside, the night air cool and soothing on her skin. 

She looks up. Stars glitter overhead, just like they always have, but somehow everything seems… so much more beautiful. 

She feels a hand on her shoulder and tears her gaze away from the sky. “You all right?” Edér asks, and as she nods, she realizes that she’s crying. 

She looks back up at the stars. “I thought I’d never see them again,” she says quietly. “It's…” She doesn’t finish. 

He understands, though. He always understands. 

_______________________

They spend two days in the Celestial Sapling before departing. Well, she does, and a few of the others. Durance is gone when they all wake up the first morning, leaving nothing but unpleasant memories and the promise of vengeance. Sagani bids them farewell and leaves not long after that, eager to see her family after five years of separation. 

Mara thinks she’s the only one who notices when Grieving Mother departs. It’s less of a goodbye and more of a… feeling, passed from one cipher to another. Gratitude, repentance, hope. She’s at peace, Mara thinks, and she’s glad. 

The others stay. There’s celebration, relief, the kind of understanding that only those who have faced death together can ever really reach. A tipsy Maneha kisses Pallegina in front of the whole tavern, and though he’ll never admit to it, Mara is convinced that Aloth is the one who starts the round of applause. (Granted, Iselmyr is the more likely candidate, but they’re getting along better and better these days. Maybe it’s both.) 

They leave together, two days later, heading back for Caed Nua. For home. Zahua goes off on his own first, bowing to Mara and expressing his humblest thanks (and leaving some of his malcachoa stash with Edér). Pallegina and Maneha go next, making their way toward Defiance Bay–the paladin needs to face her actions, but she does so with her head held high and Maneha at her side. 

She’s sorry to see them go, but Mara is happy for them. And she makes sure they know they’re always welcome at Caed Nua. 

There’s little fanfare upon their return, but Mara prefers it that way. She ended Waidwen’s Legacy, she returned the souls of Hollowborn children to their intended bodies, and no one knows but her and those around her. She’ll keep it that way, if she can help it. Being the Watcher of Caed Nua is fame enough for her taste. 

The mercenaries stationed on the outer wall give a cheer as the party approaches, and they fall into their usual banter–they complain they’re not being paid enough, Mara reminds them who killed the adra dragon and suggests maybe they should take their extra pay from her hoard in the Endless Paths, at which they retract their statement and thank her profusely for being such an excellent employer. 

The remaining party members quickly settle in at Brighthollow, reveling in the fact that there’s enough space for everyone to take a room. 

In the morning, Hiravias leaves too. When he hugs Mara goodbye, she’s startled to discover that he’s bathed for the first time since she’s known him. She sees him off with a wave of her hand and best wishes for getting through to his tribe. 

The Devil of Caroc stays, though in truth she seems more comfortable with the mercenaries than anything else. She’s quickly accepted into their ranks, and they adapt to her morbid sense of humor remarkably quickly (Mara wonders half-jokingly if she should be concerned that the Devil is going to turn all her hirelings into expert assassins. The Devil laughs and doesn’t deny it). 

Kana is the next to leave, citing the need to return to his people with his findings. As she sees him off, she doesn’t doubt that he’ll “accidentally” get sidetracked once or twice. 

And then Aloth and Edér are the only ones left, and it’s bittersweet, because she knows Aloth is planning to leave soon to begin his self-appointed task, and surely Edér won’t be far behind. 

She’s by the fire in her room in Brighthollow when the moment comes. These days she tries to get as much sleep as possible, as if to make up for all she lost while they were chasing Thaos, but tonight she’s up late, staring into the fire and wondering what the hell to do with herself when there’s a light knock on her door. 

“Come in.” She already knows who it is. Edér doesn’t knock that softly and no one else would have any reason to be in her room at this hour. 

Aloth enters, as quietly as he ever does anything, shutting the door softly behind him as he moves to sit beside her by the fire. They sit in silence for a while before she speaks. “Is it time?” 

He sighs deeply. “I’m afraid so. I fear if I don’t depart soon I never will.” Another sigh. “I simply… wished to reiterate how much your friendship has meant to me. Since we met, I…” He bites his lip. “I’m not sure I’ve ever had… _friends_ … before. Certainly no one I trusted enough to tell them about Iselmyr. And your support… it’s meant the world to me.” 

She covers his hand with hers, squeezing gently. “I know having you at my back has saved my life more than once,” she begins. “And I just… well. I can’t tell you to be safe, but at least be careful. And if you ever need refuge, somewhere to hide, or just somewhere safe where you know you can rest, please come back here. If you ever need any help, don’t hesitate to ask.” 

He gives a bashful smile, nodding his head. “Thank you, Mara,” he says. He stands. “I should… go.” 

She stands with him, pulling him into a hug which he returns. “Good luck,” she says. 

And then he’s gone. 

________________________________

She’s out early the next morning, walking the grounds of Caed Nua just before dawn. The mercenaries know better than to disturb her; this is her time. There is only one person whose interruption she welcomes, and he joins her just as the last of the stars have been obscured by the sun’s light. 

She’s sitting on the edge of one of the bridges, feet dangling and swinging, just… watching. Watching and waiting, because she knows it’s coming; now that Aloth is gone, it’s only a matter of time. 

So she welcomes his presence even as she fears its meaning. But neither of them speak. They simply coexist in silence, as they’ve done so often over the months since they met. 

Finally she breaks the silence, eyes fixed on the water below. “You too?” 

He doesn’t have to ask what she means. “Yeah,” he says after a long pause. “Was thinkin’ maybe I’d head back to Dyrford. They could use all the help they can get, I think. And,” he adds, looking sideways at her, “‘s not too far from Caed Nua.” 

Her heart skips a beat in spite of her. But much as she wants to beg him to stay… she can’t. He needs this, and Dyrford needs him. 

“Write me at least, yeah?” She looks over at him as she speaks, meeting his eyes, and there’s a warmth there that she wasn’t expecting. A smile crinkles the corners of his eyes, and he reaches up to touch her face, tucking back a wayward piece of hair and trailing his fingertips down to her jaw. 

“‘Course,” he says, his eyes growing even warmer, letting his hand settle where her neck meets her shoulder. 

She’s leaning forward before she can even register what she’s doing, drawn in by that warmth in his eyes, and he meets her halfway, hand slipping upwards to cup her jaw once again as he kisses her. 

It’s over all too soon, but he’s smiling even more broadly now. “Guess maybe I’ll have to visit more often than I planned,” he says with a wink. 

Despite knowing he’s leaving, she takes comfort in his closeness, in the fact that he’s not going far. As they stand together, her smile matches his own. 

He takes her hand, the lovers’ rings on their fingers clinking together gently. “You ever need me, just call,” he says. “I’ll come runnin’.” 

“Likewise,” she manages. 

He wraps his arms around her, holding her close, and she hugs him back, trying to memorize this feeling. When he kisses her forehead and pulls away, it’s like she can still feel him. 

They’re both smiling when he walks away.


End file.
